Photos from inside a Prince Hall Masonic lodge in North Carolina, page 4

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reply posted on 10-6-2009 @ 12:22 PM by Viking04

reply to post by RuneSpider

That would be a big 'whoops' on my part. Reading the whole thing is helpful, is it not? I will try to do better in the future.

reply posted on 10-6-2009 @ 12:38 PM by network dude

reply to post by lee anoma

I can see where this thread would be confusing. I will try to explain it to you from what I understand. The OP thought that by showing the pictures of this lodge (which was posted on their web site) he was showing that Masons treated Prince Hall masons poorly. When in reality each lodge is responsible for their own respective building. Much like the lions club, Ruitans, Woodmen of the World, or any other organization that collectively owns property. I suspect the OP is of African dissent, and caries a chip on his/her shoulders, and also has a warped idea of masons in general.

If I am wrong on any of my assumptions, please feel free to set me straight.

If a lodge from any town needed help with a project, they would need only ask a fellow lodge and there should be ample help available. That is kind of the idea of masonry. There are lodges in the south and other areas, where the old mindset of racism still exists in some members. (masons are people, and not all of them are super smart) But this racist mindset is in direct conflict of the basic principals of masonry. Where men are to be judged by their internal qualities and not the external. IE hypocrites.

So in conclusion, The masons in the lodge presented by the OP are proud masons and have every right to be proud of what and who they are. Racism is stupid/racist people are stupid, and masons are good people trying to be better people as a whole.
Thanks,

Mike

reply posted on 11-6-2009 @ 08:22 PM by Viking04

Originally posted by network dude
reply to post by Viking04

we use candles. I thought everyone did. But we have a few other things that apparently are out of the norm. (we dress casually) That is why I love this place. I am always learning new things.

Brother Mike:

I have never sat in a Lodge with lit candles. That would be interesting. We are fairly informal at 757 as well. Were I to find myself in 'Fun Dunn' on Lodge night, it would be a singular pleasure to sit with you. Of course, after, we would have to run by Denim Drive in Erwin to listen to the looms click.

reply posted on 12-6-2009 @ 05:52 AM by network dude

reply to post by Viking04

the looms have stopped clicking. They turned the weave plant into a pool supply distributer. We are there on the first Tuesday. IF you U2U me your e-mail, I will let you know when the degrees will be. I will buy you a chicken dinner.

reply posted on 12-6-2009 @ 07:11 AM by Ridhya

Originally posted by lost in the midwest
kind of shoots down the ideal that Masons are rich and powerful men that control all of the world.

Haha, just like the crumbling Church of St. Michael I went to is proof that Catholicism is not run by rich, powerful men with evil intent

reply posted on 12-6-2009 @ 08:18 AM by undermind

Originally posted by network dude
reply to post by undermind

could you get me on the list to receive inside tips? My lodge never conveyed that info to me. I have not had time to take over the stock market as we have been so busy with world domination and junk. Gota feed the goat. thanks.

Lul NDude I'll U2U if I get any warnings and if you could vouch for me, that'd be very kind of you.

By the way, the most popular viewing platform for forex traders (95%) is a program called Metatrader 4. The clocks in MT4 cannot be changed, they are permanently set to Jerusalem time!

reply posted on 14-6-2009 @ 04:54 PM by Rockpuck

reply to post by Deaf Alien

Pretty much true.. the biggest lodges reside in Masonic Centers, where York and Scottish Rite as well as other branches also meet.. typically these are massive stone structures with amazing architecture. Then again, if you look at the donors and builders they where typically early 1900's business people and very wealthy.

Out in the country or small town the Masonic Lodges can fall into disrepair from lack of funding.

reply posted on 14-6-2009 @ 11:47 PM by vcwxvwligen

Compare Prince Hall Grand Lodge with the AF&AM Grand Lodge of North Carolina. Even the Prince Hall website is inferior. I'm certain that the AF&AM Grand Master attends the Grand Lodge Communication of both Prince Hall and AF&AM, and can see the differences quite clearly. They even use different meeting venues.

www.grandlodge-nc.org...
www.mwphglnc.com...

The issue of Prince Hall Masonry is not just being unacknowledged by other Masons. When a neophyte decides to join a particular lodge, guess which one he will prefer. And as more people leave that area to join better lodges, money and jobs will leave as well. I'm surprised that there aren't any sort of quality assurance guidelines for Masonic lodges. It seems like AF&AM lodges in general are doing better than the Prince Hall lodges. If esthetics were so unimportant, then every lodge would look the same, and members wouldn't argue about what colors to use for the decoration.

reply posted on 15-6-2009 @ 12:01 AM by Tadarida

I had to conduct a training class for work, and we rented out the local Masonic Lodge for the day because there was a meeting room. I was very excited to go there, but all I could see was the meeting room and the kitchen. Of course I thought of this thread! The kitchen was in need of some cleaning, that is for sure.

Other than that - nothing out of the ordinary...

(much to my disappointment!)

reply posted on 17-6-2009 @ 07:22 AM by network dude

reply to post by vcwxvwligen

You seem to be trying to fight a fight that does not exist. Go ask a Prince Hall mason if he is proud of his lodge. Since the condition is a direct result of how much work a group is willing to put into their lodge, his answer should be yes. Not every A.F.A.M lodge is great. My father-in-law's lodge in Roseboro NC is a small old building with dated fake wood paneling on the walls. It is not a new building, but they try to keep it up the best they can. It is not a rich area, most of the brothers are farmers. So should we all feel sorry for them? They are proud of their lodge. They do what they can and deal with their problems. Maybe you should get out a little and talk to some of these folks. See what you could do to help them if you think they need it so bad. Charity starts at home. Those that can do, those that can't, talk about it. Don't just be a talker.

reply posted on 17-6-2009 @ 08:55 AM by Viking04

A point of general clarification here might be useful. Throughout this thread, 'AF&AM' has been used to refer to 'white' Masonry (I really dislike that characterization, but it is being used in this thread, due to the OP.), F&AM for Prince Hall Masonry. In some states, such as NC, PHM does use F&AM, but in other states 'white' Masonry (again, my apologies) uses 'F&AM'. The difference goes back to two schools of thought in the time of the American Revolution, the 'Antiens' and 'Moderns'. Those GL's that were aligned with the 'Moderns' dropped the 'A' and used 'F&AM'. The schism was healed, but the usage continues. The reference for this is a book, REVOLUTIONARY BROTHERHOOD.

reply posted on 17-6-2009 @ 09:23 AM by network dude

reply to post by Viking04

I always wondered about that but never asked. And I am sorry for using that term, but I didn't want to use any term that would seem disrespectful. I would use PH masons and regular masons, but that sounds like PH is not regular and they are. If we could call if Bob and Steve, it would be a bit easier.

reply posted on 17-6-2009 @ 10:25 AM by Viking04

reply to post by network dude

Brother Mike:

I was not correcting you, and I hope that it did not come across as such. That was not my intent. It was something that I had noticed throughout this thread, and I just happened to post it after you had posted.

reply posted on 17-6-2009 @ 10:44 AM by Masonic Light

Originally posted by Viking04
Those GL's that were aligned with the 'Moderns' dropped the 'A' and used 'F&AM'.

Quick note of clarification:

The "Moderns" Grand Lodge (which was paradoxically the older Grand Lodge) used the designation "Free and Accepted Masons", not having had the "A" in their title.

The Athol Grand Lodges, who refered to themselves as "Antients", designated themselves A.Y.M., or "Ancient York Masons".

In the USA, many states therefore had two separate Grand Lodges that did not recognize each other. When they eventually merged, they generally kept the title "Ancient".

Today, those Grand Lodges that have "Ancient" in their title are usually the result of these mergers, while those Grand Lodges that don't have "Ancient" in their title are usually descended directly from the Grand Lodge of England of 1717, with no historical ties to the Athol York organizations.

reply posted on 17-6-2009 @ 10:47 AM by Level_Head

Its all good my Brethren. No harm, no foul. There are also Bogus lodges which use AF&AM or FAAYM, but that's another discussion in and of itself

reply posted on 17-6-2009 @ 11:06 AM by network dude

reply to post by Viking04

I didn't' take offence to it at all. I actually agreed with you and thought I should clarify my post. I have an idea, there will be PH and NPH when discussing the two. (NPH is not Price Hall). Now I feel better.

Now on the solve the global economic downturn. Should be done by dinner. I'll let you know.

reply posted on 22-6-2009 @ 10:28 PM by jouseroni

Originally posted by fraterormus
Looks just like the dozens of other Fraternal Lodges I've been in from Scottish Rite, Benevolent & Protective Order of the Elks, Odd Fellows, Order of the Eagles, and even the Boy Scouts.

People who see Masonic or Secret Societies as manipulative, powerful, government toppling, havens of the rich aristocracy, have obviously been reading too much fiction and haven't gotten out to meet and greet these groups for themselves.

The little known fact of the matter is that all of these Fraternal Organizations are on their death-beds and suffering from decades of neglect and dwindling membership. Many of these groups have the largest percentage of their membership in their elder years, and have not been able to replace dying members with new members for the last decade or two.

When you look at the reality of these Masonic and Secret Societies, they don't seem so spooky all of a sudden, do they?

[edit on 2-6-2009 by fraterormus]